Fresh Picks: The Gift of Glam

Vintage jewelry makes an endearing gift, and these splendid finds are perfect examples! Choosing the right piece takes just a bit of detective work: observe what she wears, peek into her jewelry box to learn if she likes demure or bold, colorful or subdued. Once you’ve found your treasure, present it in a special box for that extra wow factor, and your lucky lady has an instant heirloom she will treasure forever.

Bracelet Necklace Set: Hemat... SterlingDeligh... $100.00	Vintage brooch - Aqua and di... reconstitution... $34.50	Vintage Jewelry Locket Neckl... TreasuresByTes... $18.00
Vintage Fish Pin Brooch Esta... modgirlvintage $40.00	1960's Heavy Link Costum... darlingblu $28.00	Vintage rhinestone Necklace ... popgoesmyvinta... $39.00

Treasury tool by whalesharkwebsites

Small Isn't All That Small At All

I love that collectors cover the vast range of everything that's made. If it was made or is being made, someone is collecting it, no matter what the size. It is human instinct to think big is better. According to the Discovery Channel, it's a part of who we are-big means more protection, more security and more value. That said, it's time to turn Mother Nature on her head. 

Gucci Pill Box by mascarajones

Big isn't better-not all of the time. I can think of countless small and even tiny items that command high prices. (Ink wells, enamel pins, fountain pens, buttons, magnifying loops, perfume bottles, cuff links, etc) Yet when I shop on various websites, including etsy, I find most of the small items being offered for give away prices. I personally have been able to buy some of these online finds and re offer them for their true values. I know I don't want this to happen to me as a seller! 

Sheaffer Fountain Pen by marybethhale

Take for example an experience we had at Nachokitty just yesterday. My coworker, Suuzi, had gone through a large batch of vintage jewelry and was listing items as I added photos. She had done a great job of describing a vintage set of cuff links that were Wedgwood blue in color with a cameo set inside a gold toned metal. She priced them at $25, a reasonable price for cuff links that aren't signed, aren't a precious metal, and are oh so tiny.

Antique Sterling Compact by CompactQueen

While photographing them, the camera picked up a makers mark. Still convinced they weren't much to write home about, I popped the makers name + cuff link into Google. Whoa. Not only were these valuable, they were desirable. They were selling out on other websites. My $25 non-researched little set became a $225 fabulous pair of cuff links! 

Little Metal Boot by tippleandsnack

A couple of weeks ago, I was going through an old wooden cigar box filled with bits and pieces. All covered with dirt and dust, just yucky. I pulled out a metal button from the mire and examined it. No makers mark. Typed the style of it into Google and boom! There were several other examples selling for $80-90 (for a little button!). Lesson learned. I tend to need a reminder about valuing tiny things.

Heart Shaped Cameo by popgoesmyvintage

Look at your small & tiny finds with a finer eye. Pretend you're a child. My kids do a great job of valuing items that are scaled to their size. Necessary to this is a great photography set up. You'll have to capture those tiny details for your customers. Go small and think of all the extra room you'll have in your office! 

EVT Treasury Challenge

The Etsy Vintage Team has started a weekly treasury challenge for members and would like to share one of our early favorites. This gorgeous copper treasury by popgoesmyvintage made it to the first page of Etsy's treasury list last night. Congratulations to the talented curator and all those featured!

To see more treasuries featuring marvelous vintage items, follow this link.

How to Promote for Free & Get Noticed in No Time At All

Alternate title: How to make a rock solid neato condito treasury. 

First of all, if you want to be noticed and considered for the home page of etsy.com, follow the rules. Each item must be from a different store, and you may not feature yourself. Simple enough, but one that's easy to mess up on. When you think you're done, always go back and double check to make sure you're not repeating a store. I do this almost every time and have to find a substitute item.

Well lit action shot of Vintage Skirt by GeneralWhimsy2

Now, pick a topic. Topics range from people's moods, the seasons, and decorating ideas to hot fashion trends. There really isn't any rhyme or reason to which treasuries get the most views. It depends on time of day, week, season, etc. That said, ones that involve beautiful people do tend to get a lot of clicks! I will tell you that the ones I click on most include some clever twist in the title, description and content. Think of this like a billboard, you want it to grab someone's attention fast.

Excellent detail shot of Antique Chinese Needle Case by EurekaEureka

Decide how you want to structure your treasury. Do you want to follow a timeline? Perhaps you'd like to tell a story. Or maybe you want to select items that are all in the same color hue. You can get easy inspiration from Etsy's Merchandising Desk: they provide tips on what the trends will be for the month. The most important thing is to select highly aesthetic, stylish items. I highly recommend paying attention to this step-it can make or break your group of items. This is what will be the glue holding it all together.

Excellent photo of Vintage Spice Jars by TheFancyLamb

Next, pick your items. I try to carefully select items that are photographed clearly and are easy to see. Things that cannot be identified in a quick glance aren't usually on my list. (Unless they're so intriguing I think they'll attract attention) To make your treasury easy on the eyes, find items that are photographed on a simple background. Items photographed on busy patterns or bright colors don't tend to mesh well in a group with other photographs. (A tip to remember when taking photos)

Vibrant color captured in a clear photo of a Vintage Fire King Bowl by Kultur

After you've selected your items, organize them. To me, this is the one area that gets overlooked the most. It is critical that your items look balanced on the page. Meaning, don't put all your red items on the left side. Space them around so that they balance out visually. Carefully place complex items with many parts with a simple item, next to, above and below. Place dark next to light, textured next to plain to get the right contrast. Pretend you're designing a magazine page.

Textural photo of 1960's Tan Cape by TimeAndAgainFashions

After you're all finished and satisfied with your treasury, hit save and go on to the next steps. Copy the link for your treasury. Then click on the first item on your list, and contact the seller. Since you're contacting through that item, the link for that item will automatically appear in your email. Compose an email informing them that they're featured and paste the treasury link. Make sure the link to the item is down below to avoid confusion. Then just copy and paste the email and send it through to the next seller in your treasury. Don't forget to title your email!

Detailed, textural shot of a Vintage Cameo Brooch by popgoesmyvintage

Why bother doing this? Word of mouth. If each of those sellers Tweets it and puts it on Facebook, that will extend your reach. After you've notified everyone, then you should promote it yourself. If your treasuries are fun, easy to look at and showcase cool items, people will check out who made it. You will get buyers browsing your store as well as those stores you've featured. Best of all, it's free!

Welcome New Member: Pop Goes My Vintage

European shoppers take note: Pop Goes My Vintage speaks both French and Italian! This well established Etsy shop features a stunning variety of vintage jewelry, from frou frou to sleek modernist, all beautifully photographed for your browsing pleasure. You will also find delightful accessories for men and women.

Recently I featured this Black and Aurora Borealis Demi Set in an Etsy Treasury collection. It garnered many raves--from other jewelry sellers!

It's our pleasure to have Pop Goes My Vintage from Quebec join the Etsy Vintage Team. Welcome!

FOODIE FRIDAY--F is for FISH

  

Fish Studio Plate from popgoesmyvintage

fish trivet from DandelionGirl

 
After all the feasting that took place across the US yesterday, I thought a heathful recipe might be in order.  FISH seems a fitting choice. I could go on and on about the health benefits and potential risks in eating fish, but thought I'd cite a reliable source:

Excerpt from a Washington State Department of Health article:

Fish is brain and heart food - but trying to balance its health - boosting benefits with concerns about contaminant level can leave you floundering!  Sad and true, contaminants are in most foods, but don’t give up on fish, because fish are still an excellent health choice. 

The American Heart Association recommends eating fish twice a week because fish are a great source of protein, vitamins, and nutrients. Fish are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, which provide protection from heart disease and are great brain food for you, your children and if you are pregnant, for your unborn child. It is important to continue to eat fish to gain the healthy heart and brain benefits. The key is to make smart choices and choose fish that are low in mercury, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), and other contaminants......Fish is an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids, a fatty acid that our body cannot produce on its own. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in every kind of fish, but are especially high in fatty fish. Good fish choices for Omega-3’s include salmon, tuna (canned light), trout, sardines, sea bass, oysters, crab, perch, shrimp, and cod. Fish is low-fat and is a good quality protein, filled with vitamins like riboflavin (Vitamin B2), which aids the body in the metabolism of amino acids, fatty acids, and carbohydrates and Vitamin D, which aids calcium absorption to help prevent osteoporosis. Fish is also rich in calcium and phosphorus and a great source of minerals, such as iron, zinc, potassium (a mineral needed for muscles, nerves, and fluid balance in the body), iodine, and magnesium. When people substitute meat for fish, they decrease their intake of these essential vitamins, minerals, and Omega-3 fatty acids.  Fish is good choice for people with diabetes.  The high protein supply aids in the regulation of blood sugar. Fish is a good low calorie, high protein choice to assist in weight loss.

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You can read more, and check for which types of fish are recommended here:

cited article

SUPER EASY BAKED FISH VERA CRUZ STYLE

1 LB Fish Fillets  (your favorite variety, I like MahMahi or Salmon

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 Can Mexican Style Stewed Tomatoes, drained and chopped

1 Onion, Sliced 

1/2 c. shredded cheese 

1/3 c. sliced olives 

2TBS capers (optional)

~~Preheat oven to 350. Lightly oil a baking dish.  (or use cooking spray)  Lay fillets in baking dish. Squeeze lemon juice over fish.  Season with salt and pepper.  Top with onion slices.  Cover with foil.  Bake 10 minutes.  Remove foil.  Pour tomatoes over fish and onions, spread evenly.  Bake add'l 10 minutes.  Top with cheese, sprinkle on olives and capers.  Bake @ 5-10 minutes more, until cheese is melted, and fish is desired doneness.

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